Command and Control Train
The Command and Control Train was an assembled train utilized by the militaries of the New Commonwealth to provide a mobile command post for senior officers and their staff in times of national emergency or war. During the '91 Disaster these trains enabled the New Commonwealth to maintain effective control of its armed forces even when the pre-war fixed command centres had been destroyed. Conception The advent of Ballistic Nuclear Missiles meant that every single fixed command centre for militaries across the world faced almost certain annihilation within a few hours of the start of hostilities. It was clear that these command centres would have to be abandoned preferably before the start of hostilities before they were destroyed and that the military leadership resort to mobile command posts that were much harder to locate and destroy. Many nations opted for the use of flying command posts but these had inherent drawbacks in that they required a great deal of support in the air and would eventually have to come back down within a few days. Trains however could operate for extended periods of time with the minimal of specialist support. Command and control trains are nothing new to military operations but they were taken to a whole new dimension in the 1970s. It was Canadian military chiefs who first devised the concept of a new train based command and control centre and this was quickly adopted by militaries across the New Commonwealth. Layout The Command and Control Trains were always meant to blend in to regular rolling stock on Commonwealth railways. They have always sported civilian liveries and have been made to look every bit the same as normal express trains. There was some misgivings initially about this approach however particularly in the UK and Australia where concerns were raised that it might result in civilian trains being bombed by mistake. Locomotive While the type and livery of each train varies from Commonwealth nation to nation some factors remain constant. The trains always utilize two diesel locomotives such as the Class 37 to power the train. Diesel power was always used so that the train was not dependent on external power sources which could be disrupted by enemy attack. Traditionally these locomotives were positioned at the front and rear of the train so that if the track ahead was destroyed the train could immediately start back in the opposite direction. Coaches A typical arrangement would consist of seven coaches. Each of the coaches was Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) protected and featured electromagnetic dampening to reduce the communication suite's EM signature which might give away its identity to a technologically advanced enemy. The coaches had only a few actual windows but to remain incognito fake windows were fitted where they would appear on a normal coach. Two coaches always consisted of various control stations that would organize information transmitted to the train over the Crown One network. The train itself carried no scanning devices of its own but could access information from assets across the globe. The receivers for these devices were hidden amongst the roof and sides of the train. A third coach was used to generate and store electrical power for the train since the train itself could not generate the power needed for the communications suite. One coach served as the main office and briefing room for the senior staff travelling onboard. This included a row of very narrow offices, a meeting room and sleeping area for up to three senior personnel. A fifth coach provided sleeping accommodation for the personnel aboard including the protection squad. Life was very cramped aboard the train and there was not enough for space for everyone to have their own bunk so people had share. The two remaining coaches consisted of mess facilities and supply storage. The train could operate for up to seventeen days without resupply if rations were kept tight. To that end it was always field rations that were served. In countries like Australia and Canada an eighth coach was added that housed an immense fuel bowser to increase range of the two locomotives dramatically. Category:Railways